VOA标准英语2010-National Arboretum One of Washington's Hi

Ye Fan | Washington 05 April 2010

A pond at the US National Arboretum¹

First-time visitors to the U.S. National Arboretum are surprised to find a large and charming park that is at once so close to the hustle² and bustle³ of the nation's capital, and yet so far away.   The Arboretum is located on the outskirts⁴ of Washington, D.C, and is hard to get to by public transportation. 

The U.S. National Arboretum is on a 180-hectare plot of land in the eastern part of Washington, several kilometers from the center of the city.  Here nature's beauty is brilliantly on display. Thanks to the careful attention of the park's skilled landscapers and botanists⁵, the Arboretum provides the perfect escape from the frantic⁶ pace of the capital.

The fish pond is a favorite spot for visitors.

Sam Augusta has brought his one-year-old son to play by the water.

"We like to come and take a look at the fish, and the lotus flowers and a lot of the plants.  He's never seen the fish up close like this before," said Mr. Augusta.

Joan Love is a regular visitor.   She says she knows almost every plant on display and sees animals you would never expect to see in a big city.

"I mean there's so much to see here and so much to do here. But one thing is, you don't even know you're in Washington DC. You're just here, in all this wonderfulness," she noted⁷.

Of course, being in Washington, it is perhaps fitting that the arboretum also has what was once, literally⁸, part of the nation's Capitol.

These columns are carved from Virginia sandstone and once stood at the eastern entrance to the Capitol building.  They witnessed the inauguration⁹ of U.S. presidents from Thomas Jefferson to Dwight Eisenhower.  When the Capitol was renovated¹⁰ in 1958, they were replaced by marble columns, and the Arboretum acquired the old columns.

In addition to providing a place to relax, the Arboretum has another purpose as well.

Thomas Elias is director of the Arboretum.

"The National Arboretum was established in 1927 by an act of Congress as a research and educational facility, devoted¹¹ to studying plants, and disseminating¹² information to the American public," said Elias.

Each year the Arboretum sends scientists to collect plant specimens¹³ from around the world. They are brought back to the park and planted, where they are used to research ways to breed disease- and insect-resistant plant species.

Arboretum officials are also quick to show a special exhibition of vegetation used to produce bio-fuels.

"It's to demonstrate to people and show people what the plants that can be used to generate bio-fuel or ethanol as a substitute for fuel," added Elias.  "So we selected 21 different plants that can be used in some way to generate fuel."

There are algae¹⁴, alfalfa, African oil palm, and the well-known species of sunflower, soybeans and Chinese sorghum¹⁵, to name just a few.

But interesting as the exhibits are, what most attracts visitors is the beauty and tranquility of the park.

From the Arboretum's highest point you can see the Capitol building and the Washington Monument.  But visitors can't help but feel they are in an oasis¹⁶ far away from the city and the world of politics.
 

1 arboretum   

n.植物园

参考例句：

• We can go to the arboretum in the southern suburb.我们可以去南郊的植物园。
• The arboretum is full of exotic flowers and rare herbs.植物园里长满了各种奇花异草。

2 hustle   

v.推搡；竭力兜售或获取；催促；n.奔忙(碌)

参考例句：

• It seems that he enjoys the hustle and bustle of life in the big city.看起来他似乎很喜欢大城市的热闹繁忙的生活。
• I had to hustle through the crowded street.我不得不挤过拥挤的街道。

3 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

4 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 botanists   

n.植物学家，研究植物的人( botanist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Botanists had some difficulty categorizing the newly found plant. 植物学家们不大容易确定这种新发现的植物的种类。 来自辞典例句
• Botanists refer this flower to the rose family. 植物学家将这花归入蔷薇科。 来自辞典例句

6 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

10 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

11 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

12 disseminating   

散布，传播( disseminate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Our comrades in propaganda work have the task of disseminating Marxism. 我们作宣传工作的同志有一个宣传马克思主义的任务。
• Disseminating indecent photographs on the internet a distasteful act. 在因特网上发布不雅照片是卑劣的行径。

13 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

15 sorghum   

n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西

参考例句：

• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
• They made sorghum into pig feed.他们把高粱做成了猪饲料。

16 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。